FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What can I do to learn if NRG SVRS services and products make sense for my home?
Study this website extensively and write down any questions you may have. Attend our free Wednesday night seminar from 6-8 p.m. to learn more, or call NRG SVRS to schedule an Energy Savings Evaluation with one of our Diagnostic Engineers!
NRG SVRS provides an Energy Savings Plan or ESP (see below) for $140. An “energy audit” takes measurements of factors - such as air leakage through your heating ducts and heat flow through your walls and roof - and costs about $550 on average. The result of the audit is a report that tells you how good or bad these factors are. The result usually recommends repairing your air ducts or installing wall insulation. But, repairing ducts and putting in wall insulation is usually expensive and invasive. By contrast, the ESP examines these and other energy-consuming systems in your home and creates a plan that you can use to make improvements. The main difference is that the ESP does not dwell on the systems that are expensive to correct. Rather, it addresses cost-effective improvements that will pay for themselves in a relatively short time.
What is a "Mini-Split"?
NRG SVRS provides an Energy Savings Plan or ESP (see below) for $140. An energy audit takes measurements of air leakage through your heating ducts and heat flow through your walls and roof for $550 on average. The result of the audit is a report that tells you how good or bad these factors are. But, repairing ducts and wall insulation is usually expensive and invasive. By contrast, the ESP examines these and other energy-consuming systems in your home and creates a plan that you can use to make improvements. The main difference is that the ESP does not dwell on the systems that are expensive to correct. Rather, it addresses cost-effective improvements that will pay for themselves in a relatively short time.{s}lider" An easy way to remember it is: it is Energy Savers spelled with no vowels.
What is an ESP?
ESP is the name NRG SVRS uses for an Energy Savings Plan. For $140 our Diagnostic Engineer visits your home to perform a whole-house examination of the energy-consuming systems in your home (insulation, ventilation, heating/cooling, windows, etc.) to identify the most cost-effective energy improvements you can make to your home. Our Engineer creates a custom report and leaves it with you. With this report you will know where to best spend your home improvement dollars to save the most on your energy bill.
Isn't the ESP just an estimate of services you provide?
We will provide you with a separate proposal of services NRG SVRS provides, with a quotation of prices. However, the ESP is a stand-alone report that could be used to obtain services from any other vendor. Of course, we hope you will consider NRG SVRS when it comes time to perform the improvements.
Why are there 3 items in your list of energy saving products that are not yet available?
Before we add an item to our product list and install it in someone's house, it goes under extensive testing and evaluation. These 3 energy savings products need a little more work and refinement prior to being completely ready for installation. That which we currently do (Zone/Decentralize, Attic Ventilation, Insulation, Replacement Windows) goes a long way toward a Whole-House solution for cost- effective energy savings.
What is Z/D?
Zone/Decentralize is the optimal and proven method of saving money by heating or cooling only the areas you occupy, and only when you occupy them, creating a more energy efficient home. In essence, it calls for dividing your house into zones -- most effectively with doors -- and heating/cooling each zone separately with a dedicated Mini-Split unit.
What is a Mini-Split?
A Mini-Split is a small, wall-mounted, and very efficient Heat Pump dedicated to a single living zone. Electric air-source Heat Pumps, often used in moderate climates, use the difference between outdoor air temperatures and indoor air temperatures to cool and heat your home. Our Mini-Split uses a fundamental technology that has been around for many years, but is made very efficient by inverter technology. Mini-Splits have been in use for decades the world over but have not caught on in the United States where our energy prices have been low for so long.
What size mini-split is right for my room?
The size of the unit is influenced by a number of factors, including: amount of insulation in attic and walls, western or southern exposure, etc. The following chart is a useful guide:
| Room Size (sq ft) | Unit Size (BTU) |
|---|---|
| up to 400 | 9,000 |
| up to 575 | 12,000 |
| up to 1000 | 18,000 |
| up to 1450 | 22,000 |
What's wrong with ducts?
Ducts are the obstacle course the air conditioned by your furnace or air conditioning unit must run through. A US Department of Energy publication (DOE/GO 102004-1606) states that typical duct systems "lose from 25% to 40% of the heating or cooling energy that passes through them." Adding a super-efficient furnace to such a duct system doesn't greatly improve the overall energy efficiency of furnace plus ducts. In addition, ducts are allergen and dust emitters.
How will Mini-Splits look in my home?
Our Mini-Splits are off-white in color and are placed near the ceiling level of your room. Of course, the physical size of the system installed in your house will depend on the size of the zone you are heating/cooling, but most people find them minimally obtrusive, and not objectionable at all. They run quietly, with about the same noise level as your central system.
Can I zone by simply closing the vents in unused rooms?
No! The same amount of energy will be used even though the conditioned air does not travel to the unused rooms. Additionally, central systems are constructed to have a certain volume of air moving through at all times. If you decrease the volume of air with this form of zoning, you can damage your existing equipment and can create potential health hazards.
Are you telling me to take out my central system?
Not at all. NRG SVRS recommends you supplement the Zone/Decentralize plan with your central system. That way when someone stays over in your guest bedroom, or you throw a party, everyone can be comfortable. But when the party's over, you should go back to your energy-saving Mini-Splits, and just heat/cool the rooms you occupy. Using this regimen will make your central system last longer, too.
My house feels drafty. Do you address drafts?
Yes. Some drafts are necessary for the venting of gas appliances and bathrooms, but too much leakage costs you money. We attempt to fill just the major drafts because filling all the leaks in an existing house is difficult, and it is very difficult to find them all. Our cost-effective approach is to seal off the largest ones -- leaks that are causing you to heat/cool more air than necessary and that make you feel cold in the winter.
Are there sources that offer programs to reduce my overall cost of these products and services?
We have identified Government and Corporate sources that can reduce your total cost. We will provide our customers with direction, and where available, forms for applying for the programs available at the time of installation
Why does it take up to 4 weeks to install our products?
Because we strive our hardest to make sure that the FIRST TIME we visit your house is the LAST TIME! Since it is your house, we want to make sure that everything is properly planned before we arrive. Additionally, many of our products and services are custom-sized so they fit your house perfectly, and this requires custom manufacturing plus shipping time.
How disruptive will the installation be?
We minimize the impact to you by attempting to do the installation in one day, if possible. We cover our shoes in your house and roll out of paper in the common walkways to keep your house clean. You will need to move some household furnishings to permit our crews access to installation areas.
How much money will I save?
It depends. We would like to be able to tell you exactly how much you will save. However, your cost savings depend on many factors beyond our control. (How warm do you like your home in the winter? How cool do you like your home in the summer? What is the price of electricity? Will more people come to live with you? And so on. ) It is impossible to predict savings, but it is our realistic goal to reduce your energy bill by half.
Can you give some idea of savings seen at some of your installations?
The homeowner at one of our installations has seen his gas bill drop to near zero year 'round, and his electric bill in the winter is less than $100! He is practicing good energy-saving behaviors in his 2300 square foot house. Remember that your results will be different, depending on your comfort level, the cost of electricity, your behaviors, and several other factors.
Why haven’t you selected any alternative energy products (such as solar, wind, or geothermal) in your scope of services?
We believe the concept of alternative energy products is great, and these types of products may be cost-effective in the future. Our products have been carefully selected as the most immediate cost-effective improvements to make to most people's homes to reduce their energy bills.
